"Ishan Kishan will be the most expensive opener at the IPL 2022 Auction" - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra believes Ishan Kishan will be the most expensive opener at the upcoming IPL 2022 Auction.

Kishan did not have a great IPL 2021 campaign, but was one of the star performers for the Mumbai Indians in their title-winning run a year earlier. However, the explosive wicketkeeper-batter was not one of the five-time champions' four retentions and was not picked in the draft by either Lucknow or Ahmedabad.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opined that either Ishan Kishan or Shreyas Iyer could be the most expensive buy at the IPL 2022 Auction. He said:

"In my opinion, Ishan Kishan will be the most expensive opener at the IPL 2022 Auction. He could actually be the most expensive player, one out of him or Shreyas Iyer could be the most expensive. I won't be surprised if it is Ishan Kishan."

The former KKR player highlighted the significance of an opening batter in T20 cricket and explained:

"The openers make or break the game. They have the ability because they have a lot of time. The problem in T20 is that you don't have time, it gets over very quickly. In such a case if you are an opener, you can decide the tempo of the match. KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock, Shikhar Dhawan - you have seen a lot of players like that."

Aakash Chopra cited the plethora of openers who have been retained to substantiate his point. He observed:

"Ruturaj Gaikwad retained, Virat Kohli retained, KL Rahul drafted, Mayank Agarwal retained, Venkatesh Iyer retained, Rohit Sharma retained, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi - got my point, right."

Aakash Chopra added that the openers might not be the most important players but will still have a field day at the IPL 2022 Auction.

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"Quinton de Kock - I am saying the most expensive overseas opener" - Aakash Chopra

Quinton de Kock has also not been retained by the Mumbai Indians

While pointing out that plenty of openers are still available, Aakash Chopra picked Quinton de Kock as the biggest draw amongst the overseas contingent. He elaborated:

"Ishan Kishan, Devdutt Padikkal, Quinton de Kock - I am saying the most expensive overseas opener, David Warner, Chris Lynn, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow - a lot of money is going to be spent. Ambati Rayudu can open, Shikhar Dhawan, Robin Uthappa, Faf du Plessis - there are a lot of openers who will present themselves as options."

The likes of David Warner, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow will also fancy their chances of getting the big bucks at the mega auction. However, De Kock's ability to additionally keep wickets and his likely availability throughout the tournament could work to his advantage.